The proclamation ''An Mein Volk'' ("To my People") was issued by King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, w ...

on 17 March 1813 in Breslau (present-day Wrocław, Poland). Addressed to his subjects, ''Preußen und Deutsche'' ("Prussians and Germans" — the former term embracing several ethnic groups in Prussia), it appealed for their support in the struggle against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

. Hostilities had been declared the day before. The document is the first instance of a Prussian monarch directly addressing the public in order to justify his policies. While the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

capital

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

was still occupied by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

forces, the proclamation was drafted by the Prussian councillor Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel, and published in the '' Schlesische privilegirte Zeitung'' on 20 March 1813. The proclamation, which affirmed the unity of crown, state and nation, led to the massive expansion of the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

, and to the creation of

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s, '' Jäger'' volunteers, and ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

'' units (such as that commanded by Major Adolf von Lützow) fighting in the

German Campaign of 1813 The German campaign (german: Befreiungskriege , lit=Wars of Liberation ) was fought in 1813. Members of the Sixth Coalition, including the German states of Austria and Prussia, plus Russia and Sweden, fought a series of battles in Germany ag ...

External links

Text
at www.documentarchiv.de
Translation
at GHDI {{Authority control Military of Prussia 1813 in Prussia Napoleonic Wars 1813 documents

See also

External links